IVF arc, angsty fluff: They're supposed to go to the Gunmen's Halloween party, but there's something they need to make sure of first. (wc: 1,320)
Tagging @today-in-fic @xffictober2023
Fictober Day 31: Trick or Treat
When she asks Mulder what she can bring to the Gunmenās annual Halloween party, she doesnāt expect him to say paper towels. But he does. She repeats the word, and he laughs, saying yes, paper towels and heāll explain later. That is why sheās at the drugstore at 5 p.m., looking for said paper towels. Except sheās in the wrong aisle. In front of her are pictures of smiling women, chubby-cheeked babies, and blue skies.
Pregnancy tests.
At first, she just stares at them. She just took a wrong turn and now sheās confused as to why there are pregnancy tests. Then, she takes one from the shelf. Just to see what it says. This isnāt the first time sheās buying a test. If sheās buying one, anyway. She bought one once, when she was in college where she prayed every night that she wasnāt pregnant. Another one a few weeks ago, and this time praying that she was. In the end, sheād been pregnant neither time. Third timeās the charm, she thinks.
āPaper towels,ā she mumbles, reminding herself why she's really here, but sheās unable to leave the aisle. Her period is late. Has been for a few days. She didnāt think much of it ā still doesnāt. Itās been late before. With their job, it seems a given. And yet.
She stares at the boxes and she thinks of Mulder. They only just started being intimate. She can still count their sexual encounters on one hand. Thatās how new it is. Just thinking of him makes her feel warm all over. Somewhere across town, heās getting ready for the Halloween party at the Gunmen's, unaware of what sheās going through. āWe donāt need condomsā, sheād said that first time. Maybe, she thinks, glaring at the boxes, she was wrong.
She decides to buy a test. An emergency pregnancy test, so to speak. She quickly makes her way through the store, picking up the paper towels, and a bag of candy corn, suddenly craving the overly sugary treat. She pays for everything and hides the pregnancy test at the bottom of her bag. Itās in there just in case, after all.
At home, she puts the pregnancy test and its implications out of her mind. But every once in a while, she glances at her bag, where the test remains hidden. She snacks on the candy corn while she gets ready and waits for Mulder.
āTrick or treat.ā A voice thatās distinctively Mulderās follows after a series of knocks. Scully smiles, opening the door to him. Heās surrounded by several small kids, all grinning up at her, some of them with missing teeth. Thereās a little Batman, a Spiderman, and a witch. Luckily, she prepared a bowl with candy and she hands each child some of it, and every single one thanks her. Watching them, she tears up, her hormones overwhelming her.
āHave a spooky night,ā Mulder says to them and they giggle as they make their way to the next apartment.
āHey you,ā he says, but his smile quickly fades. āScully? Are you okay?ā She nods, turning away from him because sheās convinced she will start crying any second. She hears the door click close and Mulder follows her inside. Heās gentle as he puts his arms around her from behind.
āWhat is it?ā he whispers into her ear. āDid something happen?ā
āNo,ā she replies truthfully. āI think Iām just tired.ā She doesnāt want to burden Mulder with possibilities. Or pipe dreams. She isnāt pregnant. She canāt be pregnant. Buying that test was the worst idea sheās had in a long time.
āWe can just stay in,ā he says. āHand out candy to the kids, go to bed early.ā
āWeāre not 80, Mulder,ā she says, finding herself chuckling. She hopes theyāre still doing this in 10 years, in 20. Maybe even when theyāre 80.
āI know we arenāt.ā He waggles his eyebrows at her. āI can think of lots of things we can do staying home.ā Heās nuzzling her neck, his nose tickling her skin. She playfully pushes him away and he just grins at her with a dreamy look. What if their child smiles that exact same way? Her expression falters. There is no what if. Thereās no child.
āHey, what did I say? I know itās Halloween, but youāre scaring the shit out of me.ā Instead of answering him, she picks up her bag and hands it to him.
āLook inside,ā she says quietly. He takes out the paper towels and then gasps. His eyes shoot up and meet hers.
āIs that- did you take it? Are you? Is it? Are you all right, Scully?ā
āI didnāt take it. I donāt know why I bought it. Iām late, and I- I just stood there and I got it just in case. It was a dumb idea.ā
āSince when do you eat candy corn?ā Mulder asks and for a moment sheās perplexed. He points at the small bowl on the table. āYou hate that stuff.ā Unlike him, who stuffs one of the colorful treats into his mouth.
āI donāt know,ā she says. āI felt like eating it.ā
āTake the test, Scully,ā he says, pressing the box into her hand. āI thinkā¦ I think maybe today is a good day to test fate.ā
āThe Gunmen are expecting us.ā
āThey can wait. This canāt.ā
āItās not too late,ā she says, trying to tug at his sleeve. āLetās go.ā He slowly shakes his head at her. Itās now or never.
āIāll even hold your hand.ā
āWhile I pee?ā
āIf thatās what you want,ā he says solemnly.
āYou can hold my hand after.ā
And thatās what he does. His hand is sweaty, and she feels the restlessness inside him. If he weren't holding her hand, he'd be pacing. But she needs his strength, and he gives it to her willingly.
āDo you want me to talk?ā he asks. āOr be quiet? I can do either.ā
āYou can talk, Mulder,ā she says softly, smiling.
āI donāt know what to say.ā
āThatās a first.ā
āThis is too important,ā he says. āI donāt want to jinx it. Which one do you think did it?ā She turns to look at him. āI think it was the second time. Not the first. We didnāt know what we were doing. The second time. I think thatās when it took.ā
āMulder, we donāt know what the test is gonna say.ā
āWhen have I ever been wrong? About anything thatās important?ā She wants him to be right. Sheās never wanted anything as much as this. āYour hand is ice-cold, Scully.ā
āIām nervous.ā
āSo am I, but I have a good feeling. A very good feeling. How much longer?ā A moment later, the alarm dings. Scullyās heart races in her chest. The next second will change everything. The greatest joy or the biggest disappointment.
āI donāt think I can do this,ā she says, her voice breaking. āCan you look?ā
āYou want me to do it? Are you sure?ā She nods, tears in her eyes. She watches Mulder reach for the test with trembling hands. Her eyes are on his face, trying to read it. He blinks at the small plastic stick before he turns to her. āTrick or treat, Scully?ā
āWhat?ā she asks.
āTrick or treat,ā he repeats, trying to keep his face neutral. But thereās something. A glimmer. Her heart is still racing, but sheās going to take a chance.
āTreat,ā she says.
He shows the test to her, his hand shaking. āWeāre gonna have a child,ā he says with a laugh.
āWeāre,ā she begins, breaking off. She takes the test from him and there it is. Clear as day. Sheās pregnant.
āI knew it when I saw the candy corn,ā he says, taking her into his arms. āYouāre pregnant, Scully. We did it. We got our miracle.ā
āWe did,ā she says, still in awe. āWe really did it.ā
Fox Mulder/Dana Scully (The X-Files) vs LĆ”n ZhĆ n | LĆ”n WĆ ngjÄ«/WĆØi YÄ«ng | WĆØi WĆŗxiĆ n (MĆ³dĆ o ZĒshÄ« - MĆ²xiÄng TĆ³ngxiĆ¹)
Mulder/Scully
Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian
Voting ended onOct 11, 2023
This poll is a celebration of fandom history; we're aware that there are certain issues with many of the listed pairings and sources, but they are a part of that history. Please do not take this as an endorsement, and refrain from harassment.
Fox Mulder/Dana Scully (The X-Files) vs Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov (Yuri!!! on Ice)
Mulder/Scully
Yuuri/Victor
Voting ended onOct 9, 2023
This poll is a celebration of fandom history; we're aware that there are certain issues with many of the listed pairings and sources, but they are a part of that history. Please do not take this as an endorsement, and refrain from harassment.
Could you write something in which Scully tells Mulder she's pregnant in the afterglow? Thank you!!!!
In all of your 37 years of life you have never known sheer, delirious bliss such as this.
Your body is limp, your heart full, your mind clear. Your skin is misty with perspiration, your nerves still tingling with faint echoes of pleasure, your muscles aching and sore with joyous exertion. You lay with your head tucked perfectly into the crook of his shoulder as he drifts his fingertips up and down the length of your spine. Slowly. Thoughtfully. Silently. Basking in post-sex haze with Mulder almost borders on something sacred.
You chance a glance at him, dozing peacefully beside you. You can tell by his breathing that heās not asleep, his hands still caressing your body lovingly. You press a downy kiss to his slackened lips, his eyelids fluttering open at the tender contact. You give him a small, shy smile and he grins dopily in returnāheās so beautifully, impossibly handsome and your chest is pained with loving him.
Every little thing in this moment feels so effortlessly goodā¦you know now is the time.
āMulderā¦ā you nuzzle your lips against the cool swirl of his ear, your next words whispered on a breathless hush, āā¦Iām pregnant.ā
Thereās a heavy, lingering pause in the air, long enough that for a fraction of a second youāre afraid he might not have heard. But then he shifts beneath you, draws away to look at you, and youāre struck by the intensity of his gaze. There is so much love, so much fear in those fervent mosslike eyes that it clenches your heart. He slowly reaches out with a trembling hand, his calloused palm cupping your cheek with more reverence than you thought possible.
āWhat did you say?ā He croaks quietly, and youāre astonished to hear what might resemble threatened tears lingering in the back of his throat. Reassuringly you clasp his wrist, gently stroking the tendons beneath his silken skin with your thumb.
āI had my annual health assessment about a week ago,ā you fall back on your tried and true modus operandiālogically presenting facts, āMy bloodwork came back indicating Iām almost three months pregnant. I had it confirmedā¦Iām pregnant, Mulder. Iām going to have a baby.ā You swallow, steeling yourself, āā¦Your baby.ā As if you need to clarify. As if you two havenāt been making love exclusively for the past six months like your lives depended on itā¦or at least like you were making up for lost time.
He stares at you for a beat longer and you watch as his gaze darts back and forth across your face. To your immense shock his expression nearly crumples before you, his eyes glassy with immediate tears. You open your mouth, sucking in the breath required to ask if this is bad news, if this is something he no longer wants to be a part of despite his adamant conversation with you many months back. But then you are in his arms, and heās holding you so tightly, so fiercely as he husks out your name. He clutches at you, squeezing you the hardest youāve ever been squeezed, and you can feel him trembling as you grip him back.
āOh God, Scully,ā he shudders, his voice thick with moisture, āOh God.ā
He messily kisses you, his breath catching in his throat as he attempts to repress a sob. His clear, palpable joy permits you to express your own and you laugh amidst your own gathering tears. This wasnāt supposed to happen, it wasnāt able to happen, and you scarcely dare to believe it now. You both are celebrating the rebirth of something youād once thought lost.
āWeāll talk,ā you promise, your fingertips against his lips as you sense the millions of questions you can feel bursting out from within him, āWeāll talk, I just want to bask in this tonight.ā He nods wordlessly, tears still glittering in his eyes and he chases your fingers with a kiss. He presses his big hand carefully over the smoothness of your stomach and breathes your name.
Eventually you will drift to sleep in his arms, certain of the fact that he will not let you go for even a moment tonight, his large capable hands resting over the space of a womb that now cradles a child conceived in love.
She sits on the small metal stool by the bedside, waiting patiently for him to wake up. This is by far the worst beating sheās ever received of her life, and now Mulderās got a wired jaw. Though his doctor says he should be fine, and that he is not suffering from a concussion; she desperately wants to see his hazel eyes smiling at her.
Her face is pretty bruised up, too, and she has two broken ribs. Mulder had protected her from several punches and blows that came her way, or else she might have a concussion. My poor baby, she leans over him and touches his cheek.
A.D. Skinner is on his way to Kansas, and should arrive sometime before noon. He sounded upset on the phone earlier, and Scully can imagine him shaking his head while saying, āa mass fighting?ā
The drive to his apartment had taken much longer as the party-goers and the merrymakers filled the street to head home. He didnāt mind, though, because she had agreed to stay with him for the weekend on the account of his badly-wounded arm.
Thank goodness for Zombies? He thought and let out a chuckle.
āWhatās so funny, Mulder?ā
āOh, nothing.ā He gave her a toothy grin, āyou got any New Yearās resolution, Scully?ā
āHey, Scully! Over here!ā She finally sees him, waving and grinning like a child getting a special recognition on the stage from the school principal. She contemplates briefly about walking onto the court, but decides against it and heads to the bleachers instead. Itās getting near the time when most of the afternoon people are heading out but the night crowds have yet to arrive.
Noticing that she has taken a seat, Mulder turns, shoots, and makes the basket. He glances to see if Scullyās watching.
Sometimes, Fox Mulder thinks itās funny that heās been living here for almost 4 years now. Never having to lock his doorā No modems, no faxes, no cell phones. Most of the residents have no internet at home, and frequent the town library for the world wide web every once in a while. Heās got a landline and a fax machine, and his house is one of the two in this town with internet at home.
People are friendly here, caring, but not nosy, and Mulder really cherishes that. In a town where the population is only a few hundred, they have really, really accepted him and his family with open arms. The town mayor, a retired firefighter in his 50s, invites him to fish with his sons every once in a whileāheās the other household with internet. Their children play together despite the age differences; his younger boys are quite the little gentlemen to his girls.
stormborns
gracieabrams
ellievsbear
germansingergirl
